Love Between Bars

Chapter Five

Minuets, hours, days? Nicky had no idea how long she had been in the SHU for. Time moved differently down there. By the fact that she had just been given 'breakfast', she assumed it was the next day. Lorna's birthday. She stared at the meatloaf, trying to stop her self loathing, negative thinking. In one mind she shouldn't of said anything to Piscatella, then was she wouldn't be in there and she could be visiting Lorna, but in another mind she was glad she said something. How the new guards had been treating them was appalling and she couldn't bare to watch the woman she called her mother, getting treated like that.

The screaming from the cells either side from her was a welcoming distraction, it was so loud it was blocking her mind from thinking of anything else. Her and Lorna were supposed to be in Paris right now. She wished she could go back in time and stop herself from making the horrible decisions that landed her in prison. She had been doing so well, she had a beautiful girlfriend, a luxurious apartment, a well earning bar but most importantly she was clean. At some point, things had gotten tough so she smoked a joint. Then she began to get the taste for it, he junkie intuition took over and she craved more. So she met up with her old dealer and brought a small bag. When she took it she wanted more, and more, and more. And when she stole a taxi to get more, she crashed it and that's how she ended up in prison and now her big mouth had landed her in SHU, on her girlfriend's birthday.

When she heard a CO walking around outside her cell she stood up and went over to the door. She began to bang on the it to get his attention.

"Shut up Inmate!" he shouted at her.

"Please, I need to use the phone."

"No way. Be quite."

"Please. It's my girls birthday she was supposed to visit, she has no idea that i'm in here. She will think iv'e forgotten about her," she begged, determined to be able to call her.

"Okay then. Shall I get you a pizza too?" he snarled at her. For a moment Nicky thought he was being serious but when he added the part about the pizza, she knew there was no way she was going to be calling Lorna. She slumped back down to the floor, trying not to cry but in the end she gave up, allowing months of emotion to come out all at once.

00000

Two months. That's how long Nicky had been in the rehab center for. As she stepped out of the building she was met by Lorna holding a 'congratulations' helium balloon. They embraced in a tight hug. Lorna nestled her head on Nicky's shoulder before looking Nicky in the eye.

"I'm so proud of you Nicky. You've done so well." Nicky smiled. No one had ever spoken to her like that before.

"I wouldn't of been able to do it without you."

Nicky was actually telling the truth when she said that. Rehab had been hard. The withdrawal had been hard. Nicky remembered her first night, curled up by the toilet, vomiting her guts out. The headaches, the nausea, sweating and the hallucinations but she knew that at the end of it all she had Lorna waiting for her. That's what made her recovery easier than any other time before.

"Can I take you out for a meal?" Nicky asked. She watched as Lorna's face lit up.

"I would love you to."

Later that evening Nicky took Lorna to a seafood restaurant. As they ate Nicky noticed Lorna watching her.

"Something the matter?" she asked, afraid of what the answer may be.